Know the gift-card rules Some tips as we enter the gift-card season In Money, F1

September 24, 2006

LOCALAll signs are pointing to Apple Festival Summer's over, the nights have cooled off and there's rain in the forecast. In Niles, those are indicators of one thing: It's time for the Four Flags Area Apple Festival. The 34th annual event actually had its start Thursday, with the crowning of a festival queen and junior miss. But the main events will run Thursday through next Sunday, with most activities concentrated at the festival grounds at 17th and Lake streets. B1Experts disagree on lake's normal level People are worried Lake Michigan water levels are lower than normal, but most have no grasp of what "normal" is for the world's fifth largest freshwater lake. When you chart the lake's levels over the past century, the picture you get looks something like a cardiogram -- almost rhythmic pulses of highs and lows. It is never a flat line for a lake where levels can swing by about 6 feet in just a matter of years. That means the lake is rarely at its "normal" level; it's either on the way above it, or on the way below it. At the moment, the lake is about 18 inches below it but still about a foot above its all-time low for September, recorded in 1964. B10Cass County parks plan ready for review What could be in store for Cass County's parks in the next five years? It's hard to say for sure, since the park department's funding is still uncertain. But should money become available, the county will soon have a recreation plan through 2011 to guide its decisions. A new five-year county parks and recreation plan has been developed by the Southwestern Michigan Commission, which used public input to help identify needs and prioritize goals in each of the county parks. B1